Practical, Authentic, Collaborative Therapy

Hello there!

Although we haven’t spoken yet, I want to take a moment to congratulate your efforts. You are taking positive action by reviewing the websites of professional helpers.  Find one of us who feels like a good fit.  Trust your instinct, it should feel safe, natural, and relatively easy to talk.

I work with couples and adult individuals who are suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, communication difficulties, sexual issues, and occupational difficulties. I work with men’s issues, and offer LGBTQ+ competent practice as well.

My stance is grounded, practical, emotion focused, and adaptive. I seek to meet you where you are, and I will ask for your guidance in our work together. Past clients have said that I offer a warm, authentic, and affirming presence, with good questions and kind re-framings. I am a moderately active therapist (not just listening). In early sessions we may use practical, results-oriented strategies to help you feel some relief right away. As our work together grows, we can explore deeper insights and create real, lasting shifts. My stance is most aligned with psychodynamic and gestalt theories, and I also find a lot of value in solution focused therapy, CBT, mindfulness practice, somatic techniques, and the Gottman method for couples.

To get a better sense of whether I can help you, feel free to give me a call, send me an email, or fill out the form below to get in touch for a free 20 minute phone call.

Best wishes,

Christophe Gagné, MSS

chris@vermonttherapyandconsulting.com

585.781.0617


Couples Work That Respects Your Time and Budget

My stance as a couples’ therapist can be characterized as a blend of approaches by Hendricks, Gottman, and Perel. Reading one of their books can be a good preparatory step if you are considering couples therapy, since the experience of reading a book can help you better understand and articulate your unique problems and needs for a very low cost. This can give your early efforts a boost, or these books can serve as a supplement to therapy, and sometimes allow a motivated couple to make progress together more easily over fewer sessions. Whether we end up working together or not, I hope you find value in these authors. My favorite recommendation to start with is “Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples” by Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt.


Building on
Trauma-Informed Care and Wellness

For a bit about my history, I earned my BS in Psychology from Swarthmore College in 2008, followed by my Master’s Degree of Social Service with a clinical focus from Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School for Social Work and Social Research in 2012, along with a Certificate in Finance. Early in my career, I worked as a psychotherapist for University of Pennsylvania’s Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic, before transitioning to private practice as a psychotherapist. My direct clinical work was largely focused on sexuality, gender, trauma, relationships, anxiety, and depression, and I worked with with adult individuals and couples. My consulting at the time focused on sex-positive wellness classes, trauma-informed organizational work groups, and trauma-informed hospitality management trainings.


a few of the ways we can work together

In our work together, I will draw from a variety of therapeutic modalities to provide personalized, evidence-based care tailored to your needs. Here are a few of the specific ways in which we might work together. They are loosely organized by “depth of work,” meaning that the top of the list will be prevalent early in our work together, and we will progress further down the list as our work together grows.

Focusing on your emotions helps you identify, explore, and express your emotions safely. By accessing and understanding your emotional experiences, you can resolve internal conflicts, improve relationships, and foster emotional healing and growth. Understanding how your emotions and your body influence each other can unlock deeper self awareness and new coping strategies.

Solution-focused therapy seeks to find immediate, practical solutions rather than dwelling extensively on the “short term solvable” types of problems. It helps you clearly identify your goals, your strengths, and your resources available to achieve your goals quickly and effectively.

Mindfulness and breathing helps us deeply experience the present-moment, and can increase calmness, awareness, and emotional stability. Regular practice of these techniques can reduce anxiety, enhance focus, and improve overall emotional resilience. Being in the moment is also in direct opposition to experiencing some other imaginary moment or memory that we hold in our brain.

Psychoeducation can provide clear, understandable information about neurological processes and common emotional or behavioral experiences shared by others facing similar challenges. This knowledge can validate your experiences, enhance your self understanding, reduce stigma, and improve self-care strategies.

Motivational interviewing is a collaborative, conversational approach designed to help you explore and strengthen your motivation to change behavior. It supports you in overcoming ambivalence, making empowered decisions, and committing to meaningful change.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured approach that identifies and changes negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to emotional distress. It emphasizes practical strategies, problem-solving, and cognitive restructuring to manage symptoms effectively.

Gottman Method Couples Therapy uses evidence-based approaches to strengthen relationships by improving communication, emotional connection, self-soothing skills, and conflict resolution skills. Developed from extensive research, this framework helps build trust, commitment, and understanding, allowing couples to develop a healthier, more resilient partnership.

Existential therapy encourages personal responsibility, self-reflection, and the courage to live with greater intention and awareness. This approach focuses on the human condition and how individuals choose to respond to life’s uncertainties and how we interpret the deeper questions of life. Making authentic choices can help create a life that feels aligned with your values.

Gestalt therapy
focuses on your present-moment awareness, your experience of your world, and the internal representations we have of relationships in our life. It emphasizes personal responsibility, holistic experiences, and integrating different aspects of yourself into a cohesive whole.

Psychodynamic therapy explores how unconscious processes, early life experiences, and deep-seated emotions influence your present behavior, relationships, and emotions. We can seek out and clarify patterns rooted in your past to foster meaningful change and self-awareness.

Somatic experiencing integrates mind and body by addressing physical sensations associated with emotional distress or trauma. This approach helps foster a deeper connection with your body, an increased awareness of emotions and coping strategies. Somatic work may also help release stored tension and trauma that can sometimes feel like it lives in the body as well as the mind.

I'm happy to have a no-obligation free 20 minute phone call to see if I can help.  To get in touch, feel free to give me a call, send me an email, or simply fill out the contact form.  If you leave me a phone message, I am usually able to call you back in the next 1-2 business days.

Chris@VermontTherapyandConsulting.com
585.781.0617

Hooker Dunham Building
139 Main Street, 706D
Brattleboro, VT 05301